Budget, candidates on April 17 ballot

Citizens pay taxes for every level of government local, county,
state and federal but the only government spending they get to vote
on is the school budget. School budgets do indeed account for a
major portion of the property tax bill. They also fund what is
arguably the most important function of society the education of
young people. Every school election is important, and the election
coming up in the Chatha ms next Tuesday, April 17, is no exception.
Voters in the Chathams will decide a proposed $29,082,035 tax levy
to support a $34,603,789 budget for the 2001-02 school
year.

Chatham Township voters also will decide races for two full
three-year terms and one unexpired two-year term up for election on
the Board of Education, while Chatham Borough voters will elect one
of two candidates for a full three-year term on the
board.

The proposed budget is $442,000 below the state's "cap" limit on
annual school budget increases for the Chathams.

The budget would increase taxes by 4.1 percent. The school tax
rate would rise in Chatham Borough by 7.5 cents, from $1.564 to
$1.639, and in Chatham Township by 6.4 cents, from $1.301 to
$1.365, per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed increases translate into $75 more in Chatham
Borough and $64 more in Chatham Township in the tax bills for a
home assessed at $100,000. For a property assessed at $300,000, the
tax bill would go up by $225 in Chatham Borough and by $192 in
Chatham Township.

Chatham Township voters will elect two school board members to
full three-year terms, and one member to an unexpired two-year
term. The candidates for the full terms are incumbents John Merwin
and Gordon Redgate and challenger Joseph Kelly. Running for the
unexpired term are first-time candidates Luana Alesio and Catherine
Goldberg.

Chatham Borough voters will choose between incumbent Gerald
Helfrich and challenger Lawrence Lofaro for a full three-year term
on the school board.

The polls will be open from 2 to 9 p.m. In Chatham Borough, the
polling places for the annual school election are: the Chatham
Middle School auditorium lobby off Main Street for Districts 1, 4,
6, 8 and 9; the Milton Avenue School gymnasium for Districts 2 and
3, and the Washington Avenue School gymnasium for Districts 5 and
7.

In Chatham Township, there is a late change in one polling
place. Due to construction at the Southern Boulevard School,
Districts 1, 2 and 3 will vote instead at the Corpus Christi Roman
Catholic Church gym lobby at 234 Southern Blvd.

Children, and tax bills. Can there be two better reasons to vote
in an election? We urge voters to inform themselves as fully as
possible about the proposed budget and the school board candidates,
and to make a point of going to the polls Tuesday, April 17.

Watch this discussion.Stop watching this discussion.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Be Yourself. We do not accept and will not approve
anonymous comments. If your username is not your name, please sign
your posts as you would a letter to the editor with your full name
and hometown.Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.

Online Poll

In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html